The Important Shades of the Home
by lexi.atel
Summary: Severus wants his and Lily's house to be perfect. !AU, !Family, !Oneshot !Challengefic: Written for Hogwarts Houses Challenges forum "OTP Challenge".


**AN: _Lily and Severus were my first HP OTP. This is a story about them, so if you don't agree with the pairing, then just move on now. Don't be a toerag, and express your 'opinion' on my choice in pairing. You seriously just show how immature you are, and quite honestly, I could care less if you think Severus is disgusting and cruel.  
_**

 **Main Prompt:** _Your OTP get a place together._

 **Additional Prompt for The Quidditch Pitch:** _(spell) Avis_

* * *

It was never a boring moment going to Severus' house, as the man was always busy inventing new spells and potions. When Lily knocked on the door one summer morning, it magically swung open. She jumped slightly as a flock of black birds flew past her, feathers flying everywhere. With mild interest, Lily watched them sail up into the sky in uniform until finally, with a loud POP!, they disappeared, sending down sparkling magical glitter fluttering to the ground.

"Good morning, Lily," Severus greeted her with a grin, now standing at the doorway. "Hope those didn't frighten you, I am trying something new."

"I figured that," Lily said and softly laughed.

"Come in," he gestured her inside. "I have breakfast ready."

"Lovely." Lily stepped in, and followed him into the kitchen where he had breakfast perfectly set out. Severus had to have everything in his life organized perfectly, otherwise, he would get a bit insane. This was something Lily had learned to accept in the ten years that she had known him.

They talked about many things, just as they did every other morning when she would come over. The weather, the news, and the Potions that they were going to work on together that day.

"James broke up with me last night," Lily announced suddenly.

One of Severus' eyebrows shot up in question. "That's strange..." he said slowly. "Especially with how obsessed he was about you in school."

Lily faintly smiled. "I was wondering when he'd get around to it, really."

"And why is that?"

Lily shrugged. "He and Sirius seem a bit _too_ close."

Severus nodded slowly. "I see..." Then he smirked. "Now that you mention it, they have always seemed awfully close," he chuckled.

Lily sighed. "He then proposed to me when I told him I was pregnant."

Severus started choking. He quickly grabbed a napkin to cover his mouth and Lily waited until he was finished with his coughing fit. She had trouble stopping herself from laughing, knowing it had startled Severus just as much as it shocked James.

"And what did you tell him?" He asked weakly.

Lily rolled her eyes. "I can't marry him only because I'm pregnant, Severus! And that's exactly what I told him. He looked somewhat relieved. Poor man. Just because we're going to have a baby doesn't mean we can't get what _we_ want out of life."

"Yes, how traumatic for him," Severus grumbled under his breath. "So, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to have the baby, and James and I can raise it together. Muggles do it all the time. Our breakup wasn't horrid or anything, I don't doubt that the two of us can do it together."

Severus didn't talk much more that day. They silently worked in his underground Potions lab, mixing up brews to sell to the local apothecary. It confused Lily. She had thought he would be giddy over the thought of her and James no longer dating. He had complained about it plenty of times during the duration of the relationship.

* _/_ *

"If you don't make a move, someone else is going to." Narcissa warned Severus two months later, finding the man in his living room with his large nose in a book.

"I thought you came here for some prenatal potions," Severus muttered.

"I can't bear to see you moping around like that. Why haven't you asked her out to a dinner yet?

Severus snapped his book shut, and narrowed his eyes at his friend's wife. "We're just friends," he said firmly.

"And you think that I don't see the shine in your eyes when Lily Evans is brought up into a conversation?"

His jaw clenched in annoyance and he stood up from the chair he was sitting in. He made his way down to the potions storage to get Narcissa's ordered brews.

"How much?" She asked after he had packed them up into a bag for her.

"Free, but only if you get out of my house right now and leave me be."

Narcissa laughed and took the bag from him. "Don't wait too long, Severus, Lily Evans is a good catch."

He knew that already. He just wasn't good enough for her. But then again, _no one_ was good enough for Lily.

* _/_ *

"Well, you're dressed up all fancy, aren't you?" Lily asked, noting the suit her friend stood in when he answered the door one night.

He cleared his throat. "I wanted tonight to be a little different."

"Really?" She asked suspiciously. Severus wasn't one to change things up. "What's going on?"

Severus only smiled and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. _This is also different_ , Lily noted. He only did that when he was comforting her. He then lead her to the kitchen where a splendid dinner was waiting.

"I made it myself," he informed softly.

"My favourite!" She practically squealed as she sat down, eyeing the beef wellington. "But I thought you didn't like to cook?" Her tone suddenly confused.

Severus took his usual seat across from her and tilted his head. "There are somethings that I'll do for someone..." he trailed off, and took his wand out, lighting three candles that Lily had failed to see before.

"Candles...?" She questioned slowly.

He took a deep breath. "Lily," he whispered. "I don't tend to do things for other people, you know that."

She nodded, waiting for him to continue. Severus reached across the table, taking her hand in his and tracing circles with his thumb along the top of it. His eyes deeply bore into hers, reflections of the flames from the candles were seen in the black of his eyes.

"Since the day I met you, you've always been special to me," he said. "Tonight, I was hoping... that..." his thumb stopped its play, and he blinked. Severus' mouth was at a slight gap, his eyes were glazed over. It was like he had suddenly forgotten what he was about to say.

"Sev," Lily's addressing of his name made his eyes refocus. "Are you wanting more from our friendship?"

His eyes flickered down to their hands. He gave a slight nod. "I had always hoped for more..." he told her hoarsely, his voice full of nervousness.

Lily smiled. "All you had to do was ask, Sev! Gosh, you're so shy!"

He narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Are you saying-"

"Yes." She lifted his hand up to her lips, kissing it. "I've never been closer to anyone than I am to you. We work really well together."

"And the baby you are carrying of Potter's?" He asked warily. "Potter will positively go nutty when he finds out!"

Lily shrugged. "I can't stop my life for James. If he can have a relationship with a man, than surely I can one with a Slytherin!"

That comment alone made Severus smile. "Thank you, Lily. You won't regret it."

* _/_ *

"This one looks nice." Severus pointed to a picture in the real estate section of the Daily Prophet. After four months, they had decided to get a place together. Lily was six months pregnant now, and Severus had started to worry about her health, claiming it would be safer for her and the baby if he were around to help.

To Lily's surprise, James had agreed with Severus, and was being supportive of her relationship with the man he used to pick on in their school days. He had matured up quite a bit, and Lily was thankful for that. It would make child raising with him much more manageable.

Unfortunately, Sirius wasn't so understanding, and was being a complete jerk about it all, unable to grasp the fact that she was falling for 'Snivelus'.

"Oh, just shut up already," Peter had grumbled to Sirius the other day. "I'm tired of hearing about it. And it's starting to make me wonder if perhaps _you_ want to date the man."

Sirius had snorted. "As if!"

Lily wrinkled her nose. "A green house, Sev? No... I want a white one."

"With green accents?" He asked.

Lily laughed. "What's your fascination with green, hon?"

Severus leaned back into his chair, a tiny thoughtful smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "It is not just any green, Lilybear," he purred. "I just want the same green as the colour of your beautiful eyes, so I can be reminded every day of how lucky I am to have you as a part of my life."

"Sev!" Lily blushed. "You're such a romantic!"

* _/_ *

"It's perfect," Severus whispered, standing at the end of the walk path, staring up at the white house. It had an emerald green roof with a matching door and shutters.

Lily laughed. "We haven't even been inside it!"

"Three bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, a living room, an office, and a cellar to practice our work in; what else is there?" He spoke without taking his eyes off the house.

"And it has a lovely fenced yard, with a small herb garden," Lily added with a nod.

"Precisely my point. We're not going to find a better place," Severus said with absolute sureness to his voice. "Come, my love," he held out his hand for her to take. "We shall look inside and I'll prove it to you."

Lily soon agreed with Severus. The kitchen was decorated in red and gold, reminding Lily of fall, her favourite time of the year. The bathroom had an ocean theme, with blueish green tiles that had real fossils and seashells in them and also the walls. But what really sold Lily was what Severus said to her when they explored the upper floor, and stopped at a bedroom.

"And this can be little Harry's nursery room, which will be right next to ours so we can hear him should he need something."

Lily's eyes welled up. "Sev, I know how you feel about James-"

Severus embraced her into a hug. "With you there to raise the boy, Lily, I can't see how he can ever be as hateful as Potter was." He placed a soft kiss onto her neck. "Besides, the man has changed, he's not so... insufferable anymore..."

Lily giggled. "You're only saying that because he's no longer dating me!"

Severus smirked. "Likely so, my Lilybear. Likely so."


End file.
